What Is a Moneyline Bet

A moneyline bet is the simplest form of sports wagering. Instead of betting on point spreads or totals, the bettor simply chooses which team will win the game.

Moneyline bets use American odds, which appear as positive or negative numbers.

The favorite is the team expected to win and is shown with a negative number.

Example:

Team A -150

A bettor would need to wager $150 to win $100 in profit.

The underdog is the team expected to lose and is displayed with positive odds.

Example:

Team B +200

A $100 wager would return $200 in profit if the underdog wins.

Moneyline betting is popular among beginners because it focuses only on the game's final winner rather than point spreads.